Event Descriptions

We offer free workshops, info sessions, guest speakers and job fairs to help job seekers develop their skills and improve personal success. Spaces are limited and are offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Event Descriptions

Events hosted at VPI branches to help connect job seekers with local employers who are looking to hire. Job seekers are encouraged to arrive on time, with a current resume and a professional appearance.

Info sessions, guest speakers, and training courses designed to teach and inspire job seekers. Topics include: information on government programs, staying motivated during a job search and first aid training.

These workshops are designed specifically for youth as part of the Youth Job Link program. The goal of these workshops is to assist youth with the discovery educational and career opportunities; the development of life and work decision-making skills; and integration into the workforce.

Workshop Descriptions

Workshop

Description

Building Self-Reliance

Self-reliance is about taking charge of your life. Being able to set personal goals, plan your own budget, and manage your time will make you a more independent person. Being able to respond gracefully to life’s little emergencies will make you a more reliable, helpful person to have around. This course offers some basic tools to get you started.

Career Advancement

You got a job—now what? Many people don’t think about how to advance their careers after getting hired; they just take a job and wing it. But with a little knowledge and preparation, you can make the most of the opportunities offered in your workplace, and create new ones for yourself. This workshop discusses life after the hire.

Conflict Resolution

Conflicts are bound to happen—they’re a normal part of life. But they can be healthy or unhealthy, constructive or destructive, depending on how you approach them. In this course, you’ll learn how to slow down and make the most out of conflicts through nonviolent communication techniques.

Cover Letters

What exactly do you say in a cover letter? What are some “don’t”s that will get your file tossed in the trash? This course walks you through creating a compelling cover letters, and when it’s finished you’ll have the skills you need to get yours the attention it deserves.

Disclosure of Disability

Does anxiety “count” as a workplace disability? When should an employee reveal a disability to the boss, and what are the boss’s responsibilities in return? Many workers with disabilities don’t fully understand their workplace rights; this course offers insight into the nature of disabilities, as well as suggestions for disclosing your medical information to a potential employer.

Health, Safety and Employment Standards

When can your boss fire you without warning? Do you always earn overtime pay for working on a holiday? If your coworkers make sexist jokes or spread gossip about you, what can you do? This workshop helps you understand your rights and responsibilities as a worker, which gives you real power and makes everyone safer.

Hiring Services for Employers

Learn about free Employment Ontario programs that can help you with your hiring needs and grow your business. Financial incentives may be available to employers who hire and provide on-the-job training to qualified candidates.

Job Interviews

In the middle of an important job interview, the interviewer hits you with a question that makes your mind go blank. As you struggle to say something, panic sets in—which only makes things worse. This happens to everyone, but it doesn’t have to. This workshop teaches you how to handle these stressful events, stay focused, and impress potential employers.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn.com is the world’s largest social media site geared towards professional networking, but it can be intimidating to know where to begin. In this course, you will develop your LinkedIn profile while learning advanced tips and tricks for getting the most out of the platform.

Maintaining Mental Health

Stress. Anger. Depression. We all feel them sometimes, but when they become a constant presence, every part of our lives suffers and things may start to spiral out of control. This course will introduce you to some basic facts about stress, anger, and anxiety disorders, as well as some strategies for dealing with them.

Networking

Experts estimate that as many as 90% of all jobs are never posted to the public. That’s a lot! The only way to connect with these “hidden” jobs is by networking—reaching out to the people you know. This course will offer insight into growing, strengthening, and activating your network in person and online.

Newcomers

Being a newcomer to Canada can be difficult and confusing. This course is designed to help. It introduces newcomers to Ontario’s workplace culture and laws. It also offers advice to help them find jobs. Finally, this course gives links to useful information about finding a home, a doctor, and other services.

Occupational Research

What jobs are you qualified for, and are there any available nearby? Is your field expected to grow, shrink, or stay the same over the next five years? How much does someone with your qualifications typically earn? This course will teach you how to research the job market, so that you can stop wasting time on dead-ends and start making the most of your job search.

Open House

Sign up for a free tour of our branch and learn how to access our job board and all other great resources available to assist you in achieving your career goals.

Resume

How do you make your work descriptions ‘pop’? What are some resume “don’t”s that will get your file tossed in the trash? This course walks you through creating a compelling resume, and when it’s finished you’ll have the skills you need to get yours the attention it deserves.

Second Career Orientation

In this session you will receive an overview of the Second Career program including detailed information about the eligibility and suitability requirements, general guidelines and what to expect through the application process.

Second Career Application

We will review the documents required to submit an effective Second Career application to the MTCU.

Self-Assessment Part 1

You’re not like anyone else: your natural strengths and weaknesses, learning styles, and the way you solve problems are some of the things that make you unique. But a lot of people have trouble seeing their own strengths objectively. This course is designed to help you gain insight into the type of person—and worker—you are.

Self-Assessment Part 2

In Self-Assessment Part 1, you learned about strengths, learning styles, and problem solving. In this course, we show how your interests, skills, and personal values lay the foundations for smart career choices. By the end of the workshop you will have a clearer idea of where you might belong.

Student Information Session

This information session describes who we are and what we do, the challenges young people face in finding jobs in ON and how VPI can help.

Teamwork and Leadership

Should a group leader be a charismatic motivator, a knowledgeable bureaucrat, or a strict authoritarian? When working with others, does every teammate need to “pull their own weight”? What kind of roles exist in every group, and which one suits you the best? This course will give you knowledge and hands-on practice in honing your leadership and teamwork skills.

Worker Health & Safety Awareness

This online module explains your rights and responsibilities on the job and tells you what Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) expects from your employer, your supervisor, and you. These are things that you need to know and understand so that you can be safe at work today and every day.

Workplace Communication

Sometimes we say things that are immediately taken the wrong way. Sometimes we hear an attack where none was intended. This course focuses on how to get along in the workplace: we work on communication techniques, assertiveness, and showcasing a positive, likable attitude—even on a bad day!

Workplace Essential Skills

What percentage of 230 is 43, and how do you find out? How do you compose a project proposal, and then how do you give a great presentation on it? Some workplace skills are so common as to be almost universal, including basic math, literacy, computer use, customer service, and others. This workshop is a great way to check in with those skills to see where your strengths lie—and what you could use work on.

Special Event Descriptions

Special Event

Description

First Aid/CPR Training & Certification*

First Aid & CPR Training teaches you critical skills needed to respond to choking or sudden cardiac arrest emergency in the first few minutes until emergency medical services arrive. Financial supports may be available to cover fees.

Info Session: Employment Service

Learn about free Employment Ontario programs that can help you find full-time, part-time and summer jobs.

Info Session: Youth Job Connection

Learn about the program eligibility requirements, benefits and how to register successfully. The program includes 60 hours of paid training ($11.60/hour) and job placements after workshops are completed. Full-time and part-time jobs available.

Info Session: Youth Job Connection Summer

Learn about the program eligibility requirements, benefits and how to register successfully. The program includes 20 hours of paid training ($11.60/hour) and job placements after workshops are completed. Part-time and summer jobs available.

YJC Drop-in

Free 1-on-1 career counselling to determine if you’re eligible for the YJC program. Appointments are available from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Smart Serve Training & Certification*

Smart Serve Training allows participants to legally serve alcohol in Ontario. Financial supports may be available to cover fees.

WHMIS Training & Certification*

WHMIS Training is designed to keep you informed of the dangers and hazards associated with the chemicals and substances that you may encounter while on the job.

Working At Heights Training & Certification*

Working at Heights Training teaches you how to prevent hazards related to working at heights, including fall prevention and fall protection. Financial supports may be available to cover fees.